National animal

A national animal is an animal that is the symbol or emblem of a country.
National Animal of Azerbaijan
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ituated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is a small Caucasian country that became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country shares a land border with Russia to the north, Iran to the south, and Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia to the west, while the entire eastern part of the country is surrounded by the Caspian Sea.
The Karabakh Horse

The Karabakh horse is the major national symbol of Azerbaijan. Historically it has been an important racing and riding horse of the Eurasian mountain-steppe areas.
The Karabakh, also known as the Karabai or Karabakhskaya in Russian, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the Karabakh region, where the horse was originally developed. The breed is noted for its good temperament and speed; in 2004, a Karabakh horse named Kishmish from the Agdam stud farm covered 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in 1.09 minutes and 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) in 1.52 minutes.The Karabakh is thought to be influenced by Persian horses and the Akhal-Teke, Kabarda, Turkoman and Arabian breeds, and it influenced the development of the Russian during the 19th century. It is bred primarily in Azerbaijan's Shaki region. The breed numbers below 1,000, and it is threatened with extinction.The Karabakh is hardy, strong, tough and sure-footed, standing 138–140 cm (13.2–13.3 hands) high.It has a small, well-defined head, a straight profile with a broad forehead, and large nostrils. The neck is set high, average in length, muscular and elegant. It has a compact body, with well-defined and well-developed muscles. The shoulder is often upright. The horse has a deep chest, a sloping croup and long, fine, strong legs with small joints. Its chest is narrow and it is not very deep through the girth, due to the Akhal-Teke influence.The skin is thin and soft, with a shiny coat. The main colors are chestnut and bay, with a characteristic golden tint; some are gray, and palominos and buckskins are rare.
They are known for their endurance as the 19th century French Geogopher Reclus Elisée describes in his book L'Homme et la terre (The Earth and its Inhabitants) their strength as: "The Karabakh horses, however, which climb the cliffs like goats, are said to be the finest in Transcaucasia"
The Karabakh has close links to the Akhal-Teke (which is bred in Turkmenistan) and the Turkoman horse, which is bred in Iran. Some historians believe that they were originally a single breed and significantly influenced the development of the Arabian horse. These facts were found out after numerous studies in the 19th century.
The Karabakh region was known for the quality of its horses; the classical historian Strabo describes the Armenian province of “Orchistene" as supplying the kingdom with the "most cavalry." According to some sources, tens of thousands of horses with golden-chestnut coloring (characteristic of Karabakhs) were seized by the Arabs during their eighth- and ninth-century conquest of Arran.
The breed acquired its present characteristics during the 18th and 19th centuries. In Transcaucasia, Karabakh Khanate was known as a place for breeding of horses. Factory of the khanate was the main farm of purebred horses, which were not held for sale, but were only presented as gifts. According to Diterikhs, in 1797, right after the death of Agha Mohammad , Ibragim khan got his stable. There is some evidence that Ibrahim-Khalil (1763–1806), ruler of the Karabakh Khanate, had a herd numbering 3,000–4,000 (primarily Karabakhs). During the 19th century, Karabakhs became popular in Europe. An English company purchased 60 Karabakh mares from Mehdigulu Khan Javanshir, the last ruler of the Karabakh Khanate, at a large 1823 sale. Although its numbers were impacted in 1826 during the Russo-Iranian war, the breed remained intact.
The Karabakh played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Don breed. The heir of Russian general Valerian Madatov sold all his horses, including 200 Karabakh mares, to a breeder in the Don region in 1836. The mares were used to improve the Russian Don into the 20th century.
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arabakh numbers sharply decreased again during the early 20th century, primarily because of civil and ethnic wars in the Caucasus in general and the Karabakh region in particular. The breeding enterprise established by the Karabakh khans and developed by their heirs was destroyed in 1905. Karabakhs were bred to other breeds, resulting in changes including a reduction in size.

During the years of Azerbaijan Republic

Karabakh horses are breed at two stud farms: in the village of Lambaran of Barda region and in Agstafa. Private stud farms exist in line with state enterprises. Because of First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the number of horses significantly decreased. This happened because horses were often moved from one place to another and pregnant fillies experienced misbirths. Moreover, horses were breed in unsatisfactory conditions.
In 2013, Chovqan, a traditional Karabkh horse riding game in the Republic of Azerbaijan was mentioned in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. As of 2015, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture the export of Karabakh horses is banned and the Ministry focuses on the breeding of the small amount of still existing Karabakh horses.

On 13 February 2017, Organisational Committee of Islamic Solidarity Games introduced mascots: Karabakh horses Inca, that represented beauty and tenderness and Casur, that stood out with self-confidence and love of freedom.